This House of Commons committee meeting, part of a study on attracting and empowering global talent to strengthen Canada’s economy, heard from Alexis Graham, Acting Assistant Deputy Minister for Economic Programs at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and Carol McQueen, Director General of Settlement and Integration Policy at IRCC, in the first hour, followed by Andrew Tarr, Business Manager of HVACR Workers of Ontario, UA Local 787; Manel Rekik, General Director of L’Hirondelle; and James Hammond, Director of Public Affairs for U15 Canada, in the second hour.
Alexis Graham testified that Canada’s immigration approach must be targeted, supporting sustainable levels and domestic workforce development, and highlighted the 2025 international talent attraction strategy, which includes expedited processing for Ph.D. students and category-based express entry draws for fields like health care and AI. She noted that international student arrivals were down 37% in January 2026 compared to the previous year and that only 44% of provincial study permit allocations were used, but faced repeated criticism from Conservative members who argued that exempting graduate students from caps and reducing processing times to 14 days would worsen youth unemployment and that the department was overly influenced by university and business lobbyists rather than unions or unemployed Canadians. She acknowledged she had not met with Canadian youth in her three months in the role and agreed to table information on security screening for the 14-day process and on provincial consultations.
Carol McQueen testified that the economic mobility pathways pilot (EMPP) has successfully placed about 1,300 refugees, with a near 100% job placement rate through NGO job matching, particularly in health care, but noted it is labour-intensive and still being evaluated. She explained that asylum seekers receive work permits from IRCC but that settlement services for them are primarily a provincial responsibility, and that once they become protected persons they access federal services.
Andrew Tarr testified that work permits for skilled tradespeople often have restrictions preventing them from taking training or registering as apprentices, leading to unlicensed cash work that undermines the apprenticeship system and tax base. He stated that his union has 53 people with “900” social insurance numbers who cannot train, and recommended better follow-up to ensure work permit holders comply with trade equivalency requirements.
Manel Rekik testified that many skilled immigrants face underemployment due to barriers in credential recognition and lack of Canadian work experience, which she called a systemic loss for the economy. She recommended accelerating credential recognition, investing in job search support, and building employer connections before newcomers arrive, especially for regionalization, and noted that asylum seekers, who often have high skills, lack federal employment support and face precariousness and homelessness.
James Hammond testified that Canada ranks 25th in the OECD for graduate degrees, and that international graduate students and researchers are essential to innovation ecosystems, supporting Canadian students and research capacity. He welcomed the exemption of graduate students from study permit caps, the 14-day processing for doctoral students, and the Impact+ talent initiative, and recommended preserving recognition of Canadian education within express entry, but faced criticism from Conservative members who noted U15 is a registered lobbyist that met IRCC officials 936 times and argued the exemption protects university revenue rather than Canadian students.
The committee’s questioning included procedural exchanges, but no motions or votes were recorded during the meeting.
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